SANTA´S TECHNOLOGY PARK, INVITED COMPETITION, ROVANIEMI,
2000
I PRIZE
ÄLYLAAVUT JA JOULUPUKIN KIITORATA, (HIGH TECH LEAN-TO’S & SANTA´S RUNWAY)
The Santa’s Technology park is located on the Arctic Circle, close to the Santa Claus Village and Santa Park. The road to the airport runs through the wide central “Light Glade”, an almost natural swamp lightened with torch-like light-fixtures. This land mark can be seen from the road and the air.
ÄLYLAAVUT, ” HIGH TECH LEAN-TO’s”
The lean-to looking buildings refer to the wildlife and were aimed for media & experience and leisure practices. The core zone is a lofty hall with the entrance, free space for breaks, meetings and exhibitions. The lower “back” can be divided to various work and studio units. Each building includes naturally a well-equipped sauna-unit.
The buildings follow the terrain: the lower part is back to the north, the high slightly tilted facades open to the south.
The timber structures are visible in and out; massive wood and CLT. The roofs are an adaptation of local building tradition using rough timber cladding and stonepitch covered with lichen by the years. The facades are also of timber and natural stones.
The townplan was made following this relaxed and natural scheme. No building ideas has been implemented, only some more conventional generic realisations.
SANTA´S RUNWAY
The competition included also another part – to generate an idea for the bridge on the highway – as the gate for the Santa Claus Village and the Polar Circle. We proposed a slightly curved LVL-structure with linear light-fixtures on and under the bridge deck. This line of lights shows the Polar Circle as the runway for the Santa Claus.
